Should smoking be banned in city parks?

Published 5:45 am, Saturday, October 8, 2011

That issue was brought to the attention of the Midland City Parks and Recreation Commission recently by a local resident.

Parent Enas Yousef asked the board to recommend an ordinance to Midland City Council that would prohibit smoking in city parks.

Parks and Recreation Chairman Frank Altimore doesn’t think city council would pass such an ordinance.

“I don’t think you’re going to get an ordinance. But I think you’ll get a sign. There’s no way you’re going to get an ordinance,” Altimore told Yousef.

Commissioners David Kelley and Marcia Steidemann disagreed.

“I can see that happening,” Kelley said of the likelihood that an ordinance would be passed.

Altimore said there could be legalities that they are not aware of yet.

“I don’t see it happening. I don’t see the legality of it,” he said.

The issue of enforcement was a concern for both Steidemann and Altimore. He said that signage in the parks asking patrons not to smoke could be a possibility.

“That’s a very doable thing. Maybe you don’t have an ordinance, you have a sign,” he said.

Yousef said signage might work but having an ordinance would offer more leverage.

“I am asking the board to seriously recommend and adopt a rule that will ensure that our playgrounds in the city are tobacco-free. I think we owe it to our children and our community. It is a doable and sustainable way of creating better recreational environments for our children and preserving our parks,” she said.

Yousef said having signage gives non-smokers the ability to ask a smoker to not smoke in that area.

“Signage empowers parents to confront a smoker and ask them to smoke somewhere else. It does give the community, parents and even children the ability to go up to a person.”

She said this is one way to enforce a ban on smoking in parks.

“Enforcement comes from the community and peer pressure and not necessarily with law enforcement,” Yousef said.

She was joined by Susan Dusseau, executive director of cancer services for United Way and also the coordinator of the Midland County Tobacco Reduction Coalition. Yousef recently joined the coalition.

Dusseau provided the board with data showing other communities that have passed smoke-free ordinances.

“It can be done. It’s being done all over the place. These are things we can do that we need to do to protect the health and hopefully be raising a new generation who doesn’t see smoking as cool anymore,” Dusseau said.

Altimore said the board will seek the opinion of city council as well as city attorney James Branson.

In other business:

• The board heard an update on the Appreciation of Beautification Awards ceremony. There were 68 nominations, 17 winners and 13 honorable mentions this year. The awards ceremony will take place Nov. 3. The awards recognize residents and businesses in their landscape or structural site improvements.

• Fraternal Northwest Little League Treasurer Mark Smit gave an update on the league’s volunteer project at the Sturgeon Complex. They received a $25,000 grant from The Dow Chemical Co., part of the DowGives program, for improvements to the baseball diamond and the complex. The league was required to have 100 volunteers help out in a two-day time period. Smit said they had 170.

• A band shell update was given. The funds needed to start the construction have been raised for a total of $191,000. More funds will be needed for maintenance. The band shell is expected to be completed this fall.